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In the UK, a Plan To Criminalize Illegal Downloaders
krou writes "It looks like the launch of the UK Pirate Party came not a moment too soon. The Independent reports that Business Secretary Lord Mandelson is going to take a hard-line stance to preserve copyright after intense lobbying by the music and film industry. 'Under the proposed laws, Ofcom, the industry regulator, would be given powers to require Internet service providers to collect information on those who downloaded pirate material. The data would be anonymous, but serious repeat infringers would be tracked down through their computer ID numbers.' Prospective punishments included restricting internet access, either slowing down an offender's broadband or disconnecting them altogether, and fines up to £50,000. The Pirate Party came out against the scheme, calling it a gross invasion of civil liberties, while Tom Watson, the former minister for digital engagement, spoke out against the move, saying that the government should stop trying criminalize downloaders just so as to 'restore 20th-century incumbents to their position of power,' but should instead be 'coming up with interventions that will nurture 21st-century creative talent.'"
Your word is all we have to go on, and reading the paranoid, strawman-bashing, slogan-ridden rant in your sig really diminishes the value of that. If you think everyone who doesn't kneel at the alter of the Invisible Hand is a dirty evil Socialist and will crush your freedom. Please.
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
Here is the core of your post, and the problem you seem to have missed.
FourthAge, and you as someone who approves of his writing, use a massively broad label of 'soclialism' which includes everything that doesn't fit into the narrow ideology of the market, from environmentalism to Stalinism. With this handy little ideological stick, he can accuse anybody who doesn't think capitalism is the ultimate form of human organisation (which is an absurd suggestion, by the way) of wanting to murder Ukrainians.
This kind of us/them division is not measured, intelligent, and the level of links are research are irrelevant (cherry picking data and linking to other nutters is not at all hard). The linking together of the 'other' under a single name and then associating that name with evil is one of the techniques used by cults to enforce obedience.
Incidentally, I made no attempt to silence him. I simply responded to him. Try to make the distinction before you shoot your mouth off.
Have fun in your cult, asshole.
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
"If you support fining people up to 50 grand for downloading a movie then you're an asshole. Pure and simple."
My problem is that people sharing and downloading movies are bankrupting the film industry (and the music, software, (anything that can be digital).
It's not a 1-1 ratio (IE: 1 download does not equal one lost sale). However, over time, if enough people think it's alright (and access to it becomes very easy for anyone), people won't pay for DVDs anymore. This is why it needs to be stopped, and fear of huge fines seems to be the only thing that works.
Do you really think that people pirating music give a flying fuck whether or not the artist loses out?
You think they check the wording of the recording contract to ensure its an unfair deal before they click download?
people pirate music to get free stuff because they think they wont get caught and they dont give a fuck how it affects anyone else.
Any other justification is just after-the fact rationalisation bollocks.
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